Japan's Inbound Tourism Surges Thanks to Gulf Countries
Skift Take
- China hotel RevPAR increased by 27.9% year over year and by 13.7% when compared to 2019.
- Japan experienced a resurgence in inbound tourism, with GCC countries leading the way, and June 2023 saw 72% of the visitor numbers compared to June 2019.
- Several hotels, including W Sydney, W Macao Studio City, and The Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel, have announced openings and renovations to cater to the recovering travel demand. Additionally, CapitaLand Ascott Trust signed a Memorandum of Understanding for acquiring lodging assets in the UK, Ireland, and Indonesia.
STR reported China hotel RevPAR for the week ending July 29th. Hotel RevPAR in China was up 27.9% year over year. It was up against a positive 8.5% comp in the year-ago week. When compared with the week in 2019, RevPAR was up 13.7%.
Japan National Tourism Organization announced the resurgence of inbound tourism to Japan, with the Gulf Cooperation Council countries leading the way. The first half of the year saw 13,537 GCC nationals visiting Japan, close to the 2019 figure of 13,582. Countries such as Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, and Bahrain have outperformed their 2019 visitor numbers, showcasing the recovery of inbound tourism from these markets. June saw Japan welcoming 2,073,300 international visitors, 72% of the June 2019 figure and the first time Japan has surpassed 2 million visitors in a single month since January 2020. The cumulative number of international visitors to Japan during the first half of 2023 reached 10,712,000.
W Sydney
